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A Man of Some Repute
A Man of Some Repute
A Man of Some Repute
Audiobook8 hours

A Man of Some Repute

Written by Elizabeth Edmondson

Narrated by Michael Page

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Truth is rarely pure and never simple…

Selchester Castle in 1953 sits quiet and near-empty, its corridors echoing with glories of the past.

Or so it seems to intelligence officer Hugo Hawksworth, wounded on a secret mission and now reluctantly assuming an altogether less perilous role at Selchester.

The Castle’s faded grandeur hides a web of secrets and scandals—the Earl has been missing for seven years, lost without a trace since the night he left his guests and walked out into a blizzard.

When a skeleton is uncovered beneath the flagstones of the Old Chapel, the police produce a suspect and declare the case closed.

Hugo is not convinced. With the help of the spirited Freya Wryton, the Earl’s niece, he is drawn back into active service, and the ancient town of Selchester is dragged into the intrigues and conspiracies of the Cold War era.

With a touch of Downton Abbey, a whisper of Agatha Christie and a nod to Le Carré, A Man of Some Repute is the first book in this delightfully classic and witty murder mystery series.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 1, 2015
ISBN9781501256257
A Man of Some Repute
Author

Elizabeth Edmondson

Elizabeth Edmondson was born in Chile and educated in Calcutta and London before going to Oxford University. Her novels include The Villa in Italy, The Villa on the Riviera, Voyage of Innocence and The Frozen Lake, which have been translated into several languages.

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Reviews for A Man of Some Repute

Rating: 3.829411854117647 out of 5 stars
4/5

170 ratings13 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a great read, thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the timing and the factual string running through it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I absolutely loved this book! So well written... Great characters... and a really good mystery!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    THIS WAS AN AUDIOBOOK. I loved, loved, LOVED this mystery set in a castle in rural England. Lord Selchester vanishes one evening during a blustery winter snow storm while entertaining guests at Selchester castle. His body is never discovered and he is presumed dead.  Several years later Hugo Hawksworth, an intelligence officer injured in Berlin, is reluctantly relegated to a desk job at Thorn Hall supposedly as "a statistician" and is offered lodging at Selchester castle along with his young, precocious sister Georgia (age 13). When Lord Selchester's body is discovered, Hugo sets about trying to piece together what might have happened to Selchester, and who would have wanted him dead. Lord Selchester's guests on the night of the murder were peculiarly uncharacteristic for a man of some repute; an actress, a photographer, a local businessman, and a few others who were practically unknown to one another. Why would a man among the ton include as guests somewhat ordinary people?  Eager to dismiss the case rather than engulf the town in scandal, investigators are intent on pinning the crime on Selchester's dead son Tom Arlingham, and niece, Freya Wryton, since a heated dispute arose between Tom and his father on the night in question, and Freya and Tom, close companions, were seen leaving the castle together that night. Might they have circled back and killed Selchester?  This is one theory, but as other characters and relations begin to surface with possible motives for murder, will that theory ultimately hold water?   A Man of Some Repute was an audiobook Daily Deal that I snagged and I am so glad I did.  My first book by author Elizabeth Edmundson, it will certainly not be my last.  The setting was intriguing and mysterious, and the characters were interesting and alluring, down to Freya's surly and temperamental horse, Last Hurrah.  Overall, the story was a solid English mystery done right, with an ending that surprised me.  I'll be back for the next installment in the series.  Highly recommended, especially to those who enjoy a good British mystery. 
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A mystery set in post-war England. Hugo Hawksworth, convalescing secret agent, and his teenaged sister Georgia, are thrown together at a rural castle where the body of the missing lord is uncovered. They join in an effort to clear resident Freya Wryton from suspicions of guilt. The characters are enjoyable - Georgia especially - but the story irritatingly ends with major plot points unresolved, and presumably carried over to the second, yet-to-be-released volume in the series. Because key plots are suspended, it's impossible to tell whether the plot will ultimately hold together to reach a satisfying conclusion.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The wounded Hugo Hawksworth seems destined to spend his time pushing papers behind a desk, but an opportunity comes for him to work from Selchester Castle. His younger sister Georgia accompanies him. Shortly after his arrival, the missing earl's body turns up in the chapel buried under flagstones. The local investigators, wanting a quick resolution, seem happy to pin it on the man's deceased son with the man's niece Freya as an accessory. Hugo, convinced of their innocence, investigates on the side. The premise ended up being stronger than the writing and plotting. The earl was a man few admired. The weak ending did not help endear me to the series which was published through Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was lured in by the title -- I just love English mysteries (OK, I love mysteries in general).

    This one is set shortly after the end of the second World War (1953), in a small town/village where there's no privacy -- especially not if you have to call somebody by telephone. The village operator frequently listens in...

    There's a castle, and nobility, and a murder, of course, and the police are incapable, and in the places higher up they want to hush it all up.

    I wasn't too sure that Georgia behaved according to her age, but then after what she's been through, maybe it's not too strange after all.

    It's a nice enough story, and I can imagine to listen to more in this series. The narrator did overall a good job, although at times it was difficult to tell who said what in male/male dialogues.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I made it 60% of the way through this one and it wasn't bad, but I had no attachments to anyone or anything. I switched to another book and didn't care enough to go back.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not a bad novel. There are many characters to keep track of, and they all have a history that the author somehow weaves together, to make this good, solid mystery novel. The author really has the era down pat, and the lingo as well.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first volume of a new series for me. It was a very exciting read and I will continue to read the other books.The secret agent Hugo Hawksworth is assigned to Selchester in 1953. He takes his younger sister with him. The two are housed in Selchester Castle. Shortly after their arrival, the body of the lost Earl of Selchester is found. For the past seven years he was considered lost. Who is the murderer? Why does the police and some government officials want to sweep the case under the carpet?Together with the Earl's niece, Hugo sets out to find answers. They find even more bodies.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Wow, this was a hot mess! The characters were wooden, the narrative disjointed, and the mystery was laughably simplistic. I finished it wondering, "...really? That's all?" Lord Selchester was a despicable, sadistic creature who managed to get himself killed by a fellow despicable, sadistic creature (who conveniently went MIA at the end of this story), pretty much exactly the person it was expected to be. Hugo and Freya don't really solve the mystery so much as stumble upon the ending, thanks to some fortuitous discussion with cameo characters.The only character who had a speck of engaging personality was Hugo's 13-year-old schoolgirl sister, Georgia. I like her enough to want to continue reading this series, and to not yet regret spending $2.97 on the trilogy. Goodness knows I could care less about Selchester's secrets, Hugo's "statistics," and whatever the hell Freya is feverishly writing about in secret.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Hugo Hawksworth was wounded in service to his country. It is 1953 and Hugo and his sister have been given a job and a place to stay, which turns out to be a castle! Not only are they to live in a castle, but there is a mystery surrounding the disappearance of the former Earl, and possibly ghosts. All exciting news to the fourteen year old sister, and possibly interesting enough to pull Hugo from the misery of his damaged leg and loss of position.This is in the same tone as the Golden Age of mysteries. I enjoyed it tremendously! Listening as I walked, it had me smiling at points for sure, and there were at least two times I laughed out loud. I will be adding this author to my short list. The mystery itself was not as complex a puzzle as the older ones, but good enough. My only beef was with the narrator, Michael Page. His female voices. Ugh. However, after I got over the Monty Python effect, we soldiered on.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Murder mysteries are just not my genre, unless they're set in England and are written by British authors, and have some quirkiness in their formula.This is a historical mystery set in immediately post-WWII England. While there are no sit-up-straighter surprises that leave a lasting impression, nor particularly distinctive characters, nor attention-getting writing, you can't go wrong if you're looking for a good bedtime companion that will allow you to go to sleep without nightmares.A Man of Some Repute is reminiscent of Agatha Christie gentle village murder and mayhem spiced with a pinch of John Le Carre espionage novels. Enjoy it, but don't expect to remember it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was okay – a little long. Shortly after arriving in Selchester, Hugo Hawksworth and his teenage sister, Georgia, learn a body has been discovered in the mausoleum on the grounds of the country house where they are staying. Hugo is on medical leave and assigned to a desk job which the locals all believe is undercover spy work. The local police are inept at solving the crime but acknowledge that the skeleton is the Earl of Selchester who disappeared mysteriously. Hugo solves the crime with Georgia and the late Earl’s niece Freya.